Jim Sykes
 / Chronicle contributor
The greatest form of government ever created by man is being destroyed from within. Almost all of the politicians in Washington, DC, have only one primary purpose, to get re-elected. Professional politicians are damaging our Republic to the extent that it will no longer exist unless we the people remove that type of politician from office.
It now requires enormous sums of money to campaign for any national office and the current elected officials have learned that to raise the required sums of money, they must solicit funds from ‘special interest’ groups. Those special interest groups expect something in return for those donations. The big special interest groups donate huge campaign funds to candidates of both national parties resulting in very little difference between candidates who accept those funds. The only way that we will ever have elected officials who will listen to the people is for the people to contribute time and money to candidates who are not supported by special interest groups.
If you doubt the truth of this claim, examine the last Presidential election. The most liberal Democratic and the most liberal Republican ever to run for President were our only choices. Both were supplied with large campaign contributions from special interest groups in the primaries. Do you think that these special interest groups made these contributions solely for the benefit of our country? Do you recognize that the apathy of voters contributed to the election of the most liberal Democratic ever? Do any of our current elected officials do what they say they will do? We must accept responsibility for what has happened and what is continuing to happen in our country. If we want America to return to the greatness that our founding fathers created, we must get involved in the process of selecting and electing our representatives. This will require much less time than you might think. It will only require learning about the candidates and who is providing their campaign funds and then talking to our friends and neighbors to make certain that they also know. Since most politicians now say whatever they think is required to be elected, we should not believe what they say. We should watch and observe what they actually do. Pay attention to their honesty, character, their common sense and logic. They can’t solve problems unless they recognize the cause and their proposed solution will waste time and money. It should no longer matter if the candidate is a Democratic or Republican; what should matter most is his (or her) honesty, character, integrity and who he (or she) will represent if elected.
Your time and a small contribution of your money can return the government of this country to the people. Our current course will require a large contribution of your money as taxes and your children and grandchildren will not enjoy the freedoms that we have enjoyed.
If we follow this procedure, when our elected officials enter office, they will work for all of the people instead of the special interest groups. Between elections, we can enjoy our freedom and doing what is required to support our families.
